Pesto bow tie pasta salad is the perfect summer pasta to indulge in. It’s best eaten with fresh pesto, so be sure to check out our creamy pesto recipe for pasta.
Pesto bow tie pasta salad is made with fresh vegetables, and can be made quickly for a weekday dinner.
Do you rinse pasta for pasta salad
Yes, you need to rinse your pasta in order to cool down the pasta to use it for pasta salad. Pasta salad is a cold meal, therefore to prepare the pasta it needs to be rinsed with cold water. You do not want to leave pasta to dry, it will ruin the pasta and be unusable. Make sure to keep it damp with a little water before you use it for pasta salad.
Can you make pasta salad the night before
Pasta salad is better if you make it the night before because the pasta absorbs the flavor of the sauce. The pasta salad is much more flavorful the next day.
How do you keep pasta salad moist
If your pasta salad has dried out after a couple of days, add a touch of extra virgin olive oil and mix the pasta well with it. The pasta will become moist again by adding the oil. Pasta absorbs its sauce, therefore the longer you’ve had the pasta, the more oil you’ll need to add to revive it.
Pesto Bow Tie Pasta Salad
Materials
- 1/2 cup fresh pesto (see recipe below)
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- dash truffle oil optional
- 2 tbsp feta crumbed
- 1/2 cucumber diced
- 1/2 red pepper diced
- 1/2 yellow pepper diced
- 500 g bow toe pasta cooked
Instructions
- Boil water for pasta and cooked pasta according to package directions. Drain pasta and run cold water on the pasta until it has cooled down. Leave it in the strainer.
- Make pesto (see recipe below). Use a large spoon to add the pesto to the pasta. Add 2 spoonful's and mix together. If you need more pesto, add it only a spoonful at a time until it's fully coated.
- Add red wine vinegar and truffle oil if desired. Mix together.
- Add feta to the pasta. Mix until fully combined.
- Prepare vegetables and add them to the pasta.
- Mix the pesto bow tie pasta salad until the vegetables are evenly distributed.
- Store in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Pesto Recipe for Pasta
Materials
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves
- 1/3 cup walnuts
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese finely grated
- 1/4 tsp salt
- pinch pepper
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Place fresh basil leaves with stems removed in a food processor.
- Add walnuts to the basil leaves and blend until walnuts have been broken up into small pieces.
- Add finely grated parmesan cheese, minced garlic, salt and pepper to the food processor.
- Measure out olive oil. Stream olive oil into food processor and blend it until it's fully combined.
- Use a spatula to remove the pesto from the food processor.
- Your pesto is ready to use for your pasta recipe.
